The Usefulness of Commercial Refrigeration

Commercial refrigeration is used in a range of industries and, as such, there is a variety of refrigeration choices available. Industries that often use compressor refrigeration include:

Catering

Food Processing

Food Services

Retail

Transport

Oil

Depending on the industry, the type of commercial refrigeration used will vary in size and form. For instance, supermarkets require not only standard refrigeration but also cold displays. In large-scale factories, the refrigeration requirements often extend to keeping cool large open areas such as for preserving the freshness of meat.

The Wide Use of the Compressor in Refrigeration

No matter the size or form of refrigeration, however, it is likely that most types of refrigeration use some type of compressor system. To refrigerate an enclosed space, a refrigerant is compressed and decompressed in a compressor to draw heat out from an enclosed area. This method is widely used for domestic chillers also.

The Types of Commercial Refrigeration

Regarding the larger types of refrigeration, the walk-in freezer is a particularly common option, which can store large quantities of stock in an organised manner while allowing workers to enter and navigate easily. Stock such as food for a restaurant can be kept at optimum temperatures for as long as necessary, whether frozen or chilled. These compressor units are designed from materials that allow easy access while retaining cold air. On a larger scale, warehouses and factories will often use commercial refrigeration to chill large rooms.

Commercial refrigeration is also seen on the small scale in the form of displays in shops and supermarkets. Used to keep drinks chilled or food frozen, they can come in the form of open displays or closed displays with a sliding door. Closed varieties usually keep stock frozen and have a glass display window. For chilled food, an open display offers an easily-accessible option. While the open nature of this type of display may seem inefficient, a lot of the cold air used to chill the produce will sink to the bottom of the unit.

Businesses that Use Commercial Refrigeration

Commercial refrigeration is used in many types of businesses. Restaurants and food stores are widely known to use refrigeration, but florists do also. To prolong the shelf life of their flowers, many florists use refrigerated flower displays.

In the food production industry, refrigeration is a vital tool for maintaining the freshness of products. Factories will often have different areas for specific purposes (distribution, processing, etc.) and, therefore, will refrigerate at different temperatures using various compressor methods.

Author: Devina Pareen

Devina Pareen is the only child of two doctors, who were originally from Pakistan. She grew up in Bradford but always wanted to escape to the bright lights down South. Devina took a degree in Economics at Bristol University, then worked for a finance company in Bath for 5 years. At the age of 26, she decided to take a gap year to travel across Asia, and never went back to her old career. Devina's photos of her travels became a popular blog in both the UK and Pakistan, which led to her writing travel articles for online journals.

Devina lives in Brighton with her partner Constance and their two house rabbits Gabriel and Marianne. She trys to swim in the sea most days, even if just for 5 minutes. Devina enjoys indulging her creative side with free form crochet and machine embroidery but as there is now no more room for any more cushions in their house, she sometimes sells her colourful makes at charity sales.